Father's Day
by A.G. Hart
Summary: To start, this doesn't happen. See author's note. Alex is pregnant, but who's the father. And how will they react? Very angsty. GregNick conflict. Romance between Alex and who? Read to find out! Please R&R! Part 6 is in and the end. Sequel in the works.
1. Only the Beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or any of its characters. I only own the characters I create.

Author's note: This is a sort of one shot. It involves an original character from my other fan fics. This story doesn't really happen, but if it did it would be right after Hands of Fate. I won't mention is again. And I apologize in advance, I've been watching too many talk shows. I tried not to write this, but it took over!

Father's Day 

She sat in the bathroom, staring at the plastic stick in her hand. _Please, let it be a minus._ The window on the stick showed a plus sign. _Damn!_ _This can't be happening._

She knew something had been missing for the last two months, she just didn't realize it had been her period. Due to all the stress, she thought her body was just a little off. But pregnant? It just couldn't be. _Guess I have to go see the doctor,_ she thought as she picked up the phone.

A couple days later the doctor confirmed what she already knew—pregnant. She should be happy. However, Alex Hart's life was in transit. She had just left the FBI and taken a job as a CPA. After being nearly beat to death and then almost shot, she'd had more excitement than she could handle. She tried to make the Bureau work, but in the end she took a job she thought would be less exciting.

On the positive side, she did live near family. Her father, Gil Grissom, was now an active part of her life. Well, as active as Gil Grissom could be in anyone's life. She also had a wonderful boyfriend who loved her. _Greg,_ she thought, _we haven't even discussed kids._ When they finally did decide to take things to the next step, they thought they had covered all the bases on precautions. But that wasn't her biggest concern.

Going to the doctor confirmed something else for her, the estimated date of conception. This only caused things to be more confusing because two months ago, she'd cheated. And now, she was pregnant and didn't know who the father of her child was. And worse yet, the other man was one of his close friends.

Alex sat and cried in her apartment. _How did this happen?_ she asked herself. _I never thought this would happen to me. _But Alex knew exactly how it happened.

After she was nearly beaten to death, she had struck up a friendship with the other man. They had both been through a traumatic, life-threatening experience. It caused them to have a kinship with one another. Then, he saved her life and it cemented their friendship further.

She really hadn't thought of Nick as more than a friend—like the brother she never had. She really and truly did love Greg. But there was just something about Nick, a bond that she couldn't deny. She hadn't suspected his feelings for her. If she had, she probably wouldn't have become so friendly with him. She never wanted to lead anyone on. So that night, it was a total surprise.

Nick had come over for one of their movie nights. Both of them happened to like old westerns. And Greg was cool with their friendship. Now, she couldn't even remember what movie they had chosen for the night. What she did remember was the kiss.

Normally, they sat with a good foot between them. As her grandmother would say, they were leaving room for the Holy Ghost. But that night, Alex had misjudged where Nick was sitting. As she plopped down on the couch, her hip brushed against his, her shoulder touched his. She unconsciously put her hand on his knee to get leverage so she could move over. When she did, she felt his muscles tighten. She looked over at him and smiled apologetically. He couldn't stand it any longer. He leaned in and kissed her.

He had so much emotion built up. Since the day she had held him so tight after he had shot a man trying to kill her, he had longed to kiss her. He would have that day, but he knew she was dating one of his good friends—and coworkers—Greg. He and Alex had stayed friends, but they hardly ever touched. If they did, it was just an awkward hug or a high-five. He never wanted to betray the trust he and Greg had.

That night, though, when she touched his leg and then smiled, it was more than he could take. And he just did it; he kissed her. He felt a wave of relief when he did, but then immediately felt guilty.

She pulled away and turned her head.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized, touching his fingers to his forehead.

"It's-It's alright," she replied, having mixed emotions. The kiss was hot and passionate, but she had never really thought of Nick romantically. She could feel the emotion behind it and it startled her. But it also excited her. Ultimately, she too felt guilty; she was committed to Greg.

There was an awkward silence, where neither looked at the other. Both were trying to figure out what had just happened and where to go from there.

Finally, it was Nick who broke the silence, "Maybe I should go." He stood up to leave.

She stood up as well. "Yes, that's probably best," she agreed, not really wanting him to go.

Where she was standing Alex was blocking the door and so Nick walked towards her. She didn't move, even as he got closer. She was still frozen by confusion. After just a few steps, they were standing face to face, Alex still not moving.

"I need to get by," he smiled apologetically.

His smile melted away the rest of the room. She looked up and right into his eyes. They captivated her and she held his gaze as she walked backwards into the hall. She stopped when she ran into the opposite wall. Then she smiled awkwardly and looked down again. He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face up. Then he kissed her again.

She lifted her hands, about to push him away, but when her hands touched his chest she could feel his heart pounding. It echoed her own at that very moment and that's when she knew. She simply slid her arms around him and melted into his kiss. She couldn't deny her attraction to him. That night they consummated their love and ended their friendship.

The next morning she was so racked with guilt, she nearly threw up. They swore to each other that they wouldn't tell anyone and that it would never happen again. Since then, they'd kept their distance, hoping no one would notice the change in their relationship. Things were also problematic with Greg, but lessened as the days went on. But now, now she would have to tell.

She knew whom she was going to tell first: the one who already knew of her indiscretion.

"This is Nick," he answered his cell.

"Hey, it's Alex, are you around Greg?" she replied, her voice wavering only slightly. She hoped he hadn't noticed.

"No, I'm by myself," he said, sitting in his car outside of the lab. "Is everything alright, you sound upset?"

He did notice. "Can you come over? We need to talk?" she asked.

Nick looked at his watch. "Yeah, I just got off shift. But it'll I won't be able to stay long."

"That's ok," she replied. "It won't take long."

Alex was sitting on her couch wringing her hands when Nick knocked on the door. She quickly wiped the tears away and hoped her eyes weren't too red. She rushed to the door and quickly ushered him in. She poked her head into the hall and made sure no one had seen him enter.

"What's up?" Nick asked, once Alex had shut the door.

"Why don't we sit down?" she replied, trying to keep her composure.

Nick was concerned. "Are you ok?" he questioned, as they walked into the living room and sat down.

"Well, that depends on how you look at it," she responded, still not having the strength to tell him.

"What is it, Alex?" he touched her hand. "You know you can tell me anything."

"I'm—I'm pregnant," she finally got out.

Nick sat for a moment digesting, "Pregnant?" Then, as it sank in further, a smile slowly spread across his face. "Mine?"

She shook her head, "I don't know."

His smile faded as he realized the gravity her words. "Oh," was all he could say. Then, "Have you told Greg?"

Again, she shook her head. "You're the first."

"What are you going to do?" he questioned. She knew he wasn't talking about the pregnancy.

"I don't know," she started to sob.

He moved so he was sitting next to her and started to rub her back. "It's alright," he tried to soothe her.

She calmed down a little and finally said, "I love Greg, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. And I don't know what Greg will do."

Nick was silent for a moment. Then he slid off the couch and onto one knee beside her. Her head was buried in her hands so she didn't notice.

"Alex," he said, grabbing her hand in his. "I've loved you for so long."

At this, she opened her eyes and looked into his. Then she noticed how he was positioned. "Nick," she started to interrupt.

"Let me finish," he replied, silencing her. "I've wanted to tell you for so long, but never could. Now, all of this, it's fates way of telling me I shouldn't be silent. Alex Gillian Hart, will you marry me?"

She was rendered absolutely speechless. "But…but…" she started, but didn't know what to say.

Nick stayed there, on one knee, waiting for an answer.

"I…I need time," she finally answered. "I mean, it might not even be yours."

Nick was disappointed, but at least it wasn't no. "Time I can give you, but know that it doesn't matter to me if it's not mine," he replied. "I love you and your baby."

She started to cry again. She was so confused. Here was a man, who until two months ago, she'd never thought of as more than a brother. And now, he was asking her to marry him, not caring if the child she was carrying was his. When the man she'd loved for so long, Greg, didn't even know she was pregnant with what might be his child.

Nick left shortly thereafter without much ado. He knew Alex needed time to think and time to talk to Greg. He only hoped Greg might be able to forgive him. And if not him, that Greg would at least be able to forgive Alex.

After Nick left, she called Greg. She knew the longer she put it off, the harder it would be. She had thought about not telling him at all about Nick and just letting him believe the baby was his. After all, it might be. But she knew the guilt would destroy her and in the end be harmful to the baby.

Her eyes were red from all the tears when Greg finally came in the door.

"Alex?" he called, letting himself in.

"In here," she responded, sitting on the couch.

Greg made his way down the hall and entered the living room. He noticed her state of disarray and was worried. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head and tears started to fall. Greg sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

"It's alright, Alex," he said, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

"No, it's not," she responded. She looked up and into his eyes. _Oh Greg, _she thought, _I don't want to tell you this._ "I'm pregnant," she blurted out.

His eyes grew wide at her statement. "Pr-pregnant?" he stammered.

She nodded, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"Wow," he sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "A baby. That's…That's," he wasn't sure how he felt.

She buried her head in his shoulder. His response only worried her.

He sensed her turmoil. "Hey, hey," he said, lifting her chin. "I love you and we're going to have a baby!" he was trying to sound happy.

"Greg," she shook her head and then turned away. "It…The baby might not be yours."

His arm slid down and rested behind her. He wasn't sure he heard her properly. "What?" he was trying not to sound angry.

She turned and looked his straight in the eyes. "The baby might not be yours." The hurt in his eyes broke her heart, as she knew she had just broken his.

He stood up and walked to the other side of the room. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Who?" was all he said.

"It doesn't matter," she responded, not wanting to add more hurt at this time.

"The hell it doesn't matter!" he yelled. "Who was it?" She didn't answer. He repeated, "Who was it?"

"Nick," it was barely a whisper, but he heard.

His eyes grew narrow and his jaw tightened. "Nick? You cheated on me with Nick?" And then she saw recognition flash in his eyes. He finally knew why Alex and Nick had grown distant.

"I…I can't believe this! You betray me with one of my best friends!"

Alex stood and walked over to him. "I'm so sorry Greg," she said, putting her hand on his arm. He shook it off. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. It was just once. I was stupid!" she tried to plead her case.

"No, I'm the one who was stupid," he responded. Then he brushed past her and started down the hall towards the door.

She went after him. "Please, can't we talk about this?" she begged.

"There's nothing to talk about," Greg dismissed her and then left, slamming the door behind him.

Alex fell to her knees where she stood and started to sob. She had no idea what she was going to do, except have this baby.


	2. Sins of the Father

Author's note: I know, I know, I said it was complete. But these stories, they burn inside my head and won't let me go until I write them down! This still doesn't happen.

Father's Day—Part 2

After Nick left, he canceled the plans he had had for the day. The plans were actually a date, but after his conversation with Alex, the date seemed moot. He loved Alex. She was pregnant, whether it was his or not was besides the point to him. He knew if he ever had a chance this was it.

He had hoped she had taken his proposal seriously. And to prove just how serious he was, he spent his now free afternoon at Corbeille's. He wasn't sure about her taste in jewelry, but he did his best. The ring he picked out had a simple band with an emerald cut diamond in a cathedral setting. He only hoped he'd get the chance to give it to her.

Greg's day went differently. He stewed in his anger all day. He had tried to sleep, but only gotten a few hours. He tossed and turned not knowing what to make of his conversation with Alex. He was hurt, betrayed, depressed and, now that the idea of a baby had sunk in, somewhat excited.

Which led his thoughts to Nick. He wondered how he could have done that to him. They were friends, coworkers, and he had slept with Greg's girlfriend. This probably made him the angriest.

Tired and full of bitterness, Greg walked into the lab for the graveyard shift. He headed straight for the locker room, not knowing what he would do when he saw Nick. He tried to calm himself; he knew he didn't want to do anything stupid.

As he walked into the locker room, Nick was at his locker talking on the cell phone and didn't notice Greg. Warrick was also there, getting something out of his locker. The site of Nick made his stomach churn and he just couldn't hold it in.

He walked up behind Nick, who was still oblivious to Greg's presence. Greg tapped him on the shoulder and when Nick turned around, he threw a punch. Warrick turned around just as Greg's fist connected with Nick's chin, and his cell phone went flying across the room.

Greg pulled his arm back like he was going to throw another punch, but Warrick grabbed him before he finished.

"What's going on?" Warrick angrily said.

"Let me go!" Greg yelled, breaking free of Warrick's grip.

"It's alright," Nick calmly told Warrick. "I deserve it." Nick rubbed his chin.

Warrick just stood there in disbelief. He had no idea what Nick could have done to deserve such a hit. Or what he could have done that would have made Greg so angry.

"Just stay away from me," Greg said through clenched teeth, pointing at Nick.

Nick just nodded. He walked over and picked up his phone and then left. He knew he had committed a wrong. He had no right to be angry with Greg.

"What's going on?" Warrick asked Greg after Nick had left.

The look of anger on Greg's face was the only answer he gave. He left before Warrick could ask anything else.

Warrick decided to seek out Nick; maybe he could shed some light on the situation. He finally found Nick in the break room. Nick was sitting by himself, head in his hands.

"What was that about?" Warrick asked as he walked in.

Nick just shook his head.

Warrick wanted Nick to open up. "The last time I saw a guy punch his buddy like that, it was over a girl."

Nick lifted his head and looked Warrick dead in the eye. Warrick knew he had hit the nail on the head.

"Alex?" Warrick questioned.

Nick nodded. "She's, uh," he could barely get it out. "She's pregnant."

"So she and Greg are having a baby?" Warrick didn't fully understand what Nick was saying.

"Maybe," was all Nick could manage to reply.

"Maybe? Are they arguing about keeping it?" Warrick asked.

Nick shook his head. "She's keeping it. It just…" he sighed deeply. "It just might not be Greg's."

A look of understanding came over Warrick's face. "Oohhh."

"Yeah," Nick said, half smiling, half crying. It felt good to admit his sins, but even better to tell someone he might be a father.

"Why?" Warrick had always thought Nick and Alex had a sibling-type relationship.

Nick sighed again. He had wanted to tell someone this for quite some time. "I started visiting Alex when she was in the coma. I felt drawn to her because of our similar experiences. Once she woke up, we started hanging out. I don't remember the exact moment I fell in love with her, but I always swore I'd never do anything. I respect Greg and Alex and their relationship."

"So what happened? What changed?" Warrick was trying to understand.

"One night, we were watching a movie," he started. "And I kissed her. As soon as I did, I knew I shouldn't have. I started to leave, but we kissed again and then one thing led to another. It was just that once, and we haven't even seen each other since, until today."

"Nicky, Nicky, Nicky," Warren shook his head in disappointment.

"It was wrong, but I can't take it back," Nick was disappointed in himself.

Warrick was still in shock. He never would have figured Nick to do anything like this.

"I asked her to marry me," Nick blurted out.

If Warrick's jaw could have dropped any further, it would have. "What?"

"She didn't give me an answer. I don't think she told Greg either. Otherwise…" he didn't finish.

"He probably would have done more than punch you," Warrick finished.

Nick only nodded. He was relieved someone else finally knew.


	3. Hope?

Part 3

Catherine was in charge of the lab that night. It was Grissom's day off. He had dinner planned with Alex to celebrate their first Father's Day together.

Catherine walked into the break room, just as Nick and Warrick had finished their conversation. Nick quickly tried to wipe away the tears, not wanting Catherine to see. But he couldn't hide the redness of his eyes.

"What's going on?" Catherine asked, looking towards Warrick.

Warrick held up his hands as if saying 'Don't ask me.' He nodded his head in Nick's direction.

Catherine turned to look at Nick. She raised one eyebrow in lieu of repeating her question.

Nick internally debated telling Catherine. He knew she and Alex were friends and she would, eventually, find out. It would also be hard to disguise Greg's contempt for him and she would be handing out the assignments tonight.

After a deep sigh, he told his story once more. He did, however, leave out the events in the locker room. Catherine had about the same reaction as Warrick. She couldn't believe Nick would do something like that, especially to a friend. She could also see Nick's remorse and anguish.

"How's Greg taking it?" Catherine asked after he had finished.

"Not good," Nick replied. "He won't even talk to me."

Catherine shook her head in sorrow. "Maybe he'll talk to me," she said.

"Doubt it," Nick responded.

But Catherine decided to try anyway. While it was still slow at the lab, she sought Greg out. She found him in the lab, huddled in a corner by himself. He was seemingly engrossed with a microscope and slide.

"Hey," Catherine said softly, approaching Greg.

"Hey" he responded, not even turning to look at her.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

"Kinda busy, Catherine," his voice wavered, again without turning around. "Can we talk later?"

She put her hand on his shoulder. "I think we need to talk now."

At her touch, he turned to look. The evidence of his pain covered his face. He could tell by her expression that she knew—everything. And the tears started to well up in his eyes.

"Want to go to my office?" Catherine could see the coming flood.

Greg nodded and without a word, followed Catherine to her office.

Somewhere else in Vegas that night, Alex and Gil were having dinner. Since it was a special occasion, they had decided on one of the finer dining establishments.

Alex, wearing a calf-length black dress, sat across the table from a suit-clad Gil. She couldn't help but notice how handsome he was in his suit. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was with her hair upswept in a purposely-unkempt bun.

She, along with putting on her make-up, put on a smile. This was a happy occasion. It was her first Father's Day, too. She didn't want to ruin the evening, although she knew at some point, she would have to tell him her news. If she didn't tonight, he'd find out from someone else tomorrow.

As dinner was nearing the end, she handed him a small book sized present. She had, luckily, been able to sneak it in undetected, so he was very surprised when she brought it out.

"What's this?" he asked, taking the gift from her.

"Well, it is Father's Day," she replied.

He opened it up, wondering what she could have possibly gotten for him. After removing the paper, he saw it was a leather-bound book with no lettering on the cover. At first, he thought maybe it was a blank journal.

"Open it," she urged him.

As he opened the cover, he saw there was writing on the first page. He read the words: _For my father, from my mother, Love Alex._ He flipped to the next page and then the next.

"Is this?" he asked.

Alex nodded. "Mom's poetry. I had that printed especially for you." She smiled.

Gil was touched, but he already had all of Olivia he could ever want sitting right in front of him. "Thank you," he smiled back.

Not long after, they had decided to leave. As they walked to the parking lot, Alex knew she had to tell him, but didn't know how. It had been such a wonderful evening.

She had been quiet on the drive back to her apartment and Gil had noticed. As they pulled into the parking lot, he finally decided to ask.

"You got quiet. Do you have something on your mind?"

She let out a quivering sigh and tried to not cry before she even started. She nodded.

"What is it?" he prodded. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Oh Gil," she cried, "You're going to be so disappointed in me!" She put her face in her hands and started to sob.

Gil put his hand on Alex's back. "It's alright, Alex."

"No, it's not," she responded in between sobs. "I'm pregnant!"

Gil took a second to process. It was just his first Father's Day and he was going to be a grandfather already. "Why would I be disappointed?" was all he could think to say. "I like Greg."

She took a deep breath to try and calm herself. "It…it might not be Greg's."

Gil furrowed his brow. This was disappointing to hear. "Who?"

"Nick," she said, and then quickly added, "I'm so sorry Gil!"

Now this was a real dilemma. Gil had long ago resolved any differences he may have had with his daughter dating one of his CSIs, but now that she was pregnant and the father could be one of two…he was speechless.

"Do they know?" he didn't know what else to say.

She nodded. "I'm so sorry!" she repeated. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

"How far along are you?" he asked, wondering if she was far enough into the pregnancy to have a paternity test done.

"Approximately nine weeks," she responded. And then, figuring why he asked she added, "I've got an appointment next week for a Chorionic villus sampling."

"And then?"

"I don't know," she truthfully answered.

He removed his hand from its place on her back and grabbed her left hand. "Alex," the way he said her voice, make her look up. He looked directly into her eyes. "You are my daughter and while, no, I'm not proud of the current situation, I love you. And I'll help you in any way I can."

Her eyes started to well up with tears again. He had said all she needed to hear.

Back at the lab, it was Greg's eyes that were welling up with tears.

"Are you alright, Greg?" Catherine asked, back in her office with the door closed.

"Alright? Do I look alright?" Greg responded angrily. He was pacing back and forth.

"Whoa, boy," Catherine responded. "I'm here to listen, remember? Why don't you have a seat?"

"Sorry," he said, accepting her offer of a chair and a listening ear. "It's just hard to believe this has happened."

"You're not the only one who feels that way."

"I…I just love her so much. And to think she betrayed me. And then, we're having a child that might not even be ours!" He slammed his hand down on the arm of the chair.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I don't know," he shook his head in despair. "I was a jerk to her earlier. I left things badly."

"I think she understood your anger," Catherine offered.

"And Nick!" he wasn't even listening to Catherine. "How could he? He supposed to be my friend!"

Catherine shook her head. That was one question, no one—not even Nick—had the answer to.

"What do you _want_ to happen from here?" Catherine asked, trying to take the focus off his anger.

Again, Greg shook his head. "I haven't really thought about it." He paused for a moment to think. Then he continued, "I don't want to lose Alex, but I don't know how to forgive her. And I want the baby to be mine."

"Well, we don't have any control over the baby's paternity, but there is a lot you can do about not losing Alex," Catherine responded. "And the forgiveness, that's the hardest part."

For the first time since his conversation with Alex, Greg felt his anger wane. There was a lot he could do to keep Alex, he just had to try. And he knew Catherine was right, forgiveness was the hardest part, but it was also the most important. He resolved then and there he would do all he could to keep and love her and, what he hoped was, his child.


	4. Questions of the Heart

Author's Note: I swear, this still doesn't happen.

Part 4

The night was still slow at the lab, but one call had come in. Catherine sent Sara and Nick to the scene. She thought Greg might have a hard time focusing, and she wanted to give him and Nick some time apart. There was plenty Greg could do around the lab that didn't need a lot of concentration.

On the way to the scene, Nick and Sara had spent most of the ride in silence. Nick was deep in thought, while Sara had questions she didn't know how to ask or if Nick would have the answers. She had noticed the funk the normally jovial Greg was in that night. She had never been good at broaching sensitive subjects.

Finally, she just spoke up. "So, what's up with Greg?"

Nick tried to act surprised, like he didn't know, but didn't do a good job. "What're you talking about?"

"Greg just doesn't seem like himself tonight," Sara replied, not buying Nick's act.

Nick knew Sara wouldn't let up. He also knew she'd find out the truth eventually. "He found out earlier that Alex is pregnant," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Whoa," Sara responded. Greg had always been a free spirit and to know that he was now going to be a father, well, that would be cause for change. "He's not excited?"

"Well," Nick hesitated.

Sara caught something in his voice with the one word he spoke. "What are you not telling me?"

"She also told him that he might not be the father," Nick guardedly responded.

With that sentence, Sara the rest of the story became clear to her. Although she was horrible with her own feelings, she was good at picking up on others' feelings. Sara had noticed the closeness between Alex and Nick and had always wondered if it indicated something more. It was especially curious to her when they stopped hanging out two months ago. And now she had her answer. "You," it was more of a statement than a question. Sara was well acquainted with predicaments love could get you into.

The look on Nick's face confirmed what Sara already knew. She wanted to ask more, but they had arrived at the crime scene and Nick hurriedly got out of the car. She let the subject drop—for now.

Back at the lab, the subject was pretty much all Greg could think about. He wanted to concentrate on his work but was failing. He needed to figure out where to go from here.

If there was one thing he had decided, it was that he didn't want to lose Alex. He had always hated infidelity and could never understand why anyone would forgive such an offense. But now that he was the one facing forgiving or losing, he began to understand. He just didn't know how he was going to forgive her.

He couldn't even begin to think about Nick. He had seen the sorrow and repentance in Nick's eyes after he slugged him. Greg, however, felt Nick deserved to feel sorrowful and repentant and a few other things if only Greg were allowed his retribution. But he knew that time wouldn't come. Like it or not, he still had to face Nick at work.

The rest of the night moved slowly, but Greg's mind moved swiftly. He planned out what he was going to say and do. He only hoped that Alex still wanted to be with him. And when his shift was ended, he got to work.

Later that night, Alex was just getting off work. It had been her first day and it had been awful. Everything that could have gone wrong did. She got a run in her pantyhose, spilled coffee on her blouse, accidentally deleted her first report that she had spent all morning on and that was just before lunch. She was just glad to be home.

As she entered, she smelled something peculiar. It smelled like someone was cooking and had burnt it. _Did I leave something in the oven?_ She thought, not putting it past the day she'd had.

She entered the kitchen and noticed that the table was set with two place settings. But quickly dismissed it, as she noticed that the oven was on. She opened it up and saw a burnt something; she wasn't quite sure what was under the blackened top layer.

She turned the oven off and removed the pan. _Just more to clean up later,_ she thought. But she decided to leave it for later. All she wanted to do right now was take a shower and rest.

She walked into the darkened bedroom and stepped out of her shoes. She started to unbutton her blouse as she walked towards the bathroom and flipped on the light. It cast a stream of light into the bedroom and that's when she saw him.

Greg was asleep on his side on the bed. _I'm not crazy, _she thought, glad she hadn't been the one to leave something cooking all day. She was also glad that he was here. It meant he still loved her.

She crawled onto the bed and lay down next to him, trying to be careful not to wake him. She slid her arm around him as she moved in closer. She rested her forehead on the name of his neck.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, knowing he couldn't hear. Then she started to cry.

The shaking of her sobs aroused Greg from his sleep. He felt an arm around him and a person behind him. "Alex?"

"Greg," she sobbed, "I'm so ashamed…so sorry."

Greg turned over unto his other side so that he was facing her. The light from the bathroom gave her an eerily glow, but he could still see the traces of tears down her cheeks. He put his arm around her.

"Alex," he said softly. "I don't want this to be the end. But it's not going to be easy."

Relief washed over her. He did still love her—and want her. "Oh Greg," she responded. "I don't want it to be the end either. I love you so much."

"I love you, too," he said. "But I'm hurt, heart broken and angry. And you're the reason why."

"I know," she cried. "I'll do anything I can to make it up to you!" She wanted to kiss him, but wasn't sure if he would let her, if he was ready yet.

She got her answer a moment later, when he kissed her. It was the sweetest kiss she'd ever received.

They laid there for a while, just holding each other. When, suddenly Greg remembered dinner.

"Crap!" he blurted out, sitting up.

"What?" Alex responded, sitting up as well.

"Dinner!"

"It was burnt when I got in," she informed him.

"What time is it?" he asked, noticing the lack of light spilling out from behind the curtains.

"It's about seven," she said.

"You're late," he smiled.

His smiled melted her heart. Twenty-four hours ago she was afraid he'd never smile at her again. But here he was, beside her. She swore to herself then and there that she'd never let him go.

"It was a crazy day," she explained, as they stood up.

"Oh yeah," he replied. "It was your first day. Not good?"

She shook her head. "Feel like taking me out or are you working tonight?"

"No, I'm not working tonight, but you look tired, are you sure you want to go out?" he answered, noticing the sleepiness in her eyes. "Maybe we could order in?"

"Sounds great," she smiled. She knew it would give them more time to talk and allow them to feel freer in their discussion. They had a lot to talk about. "Why don't you order while I take a shower?"

"You want anything in particular?" he asked, walked down the hall to get the phone and the take-out menus.

"You pick," she said and started to undress for her shower.

She must have been in the shower longer than she thought, because when she got out, the food had already arrived. She could smell the sesame chicken and fried rice. And it had never smelled so good. She hadn't realized how hungry she was.

They sat down at the table Greg had set and ate. Alex told Greg about her day. Greg told her about his, including punching Nick. She wasn't happy about that, but knew that had the situation been reversed, she would have slugged any girl that had slept with Greg.

Greg had been looking for the right time to broach the subject of where their relationship was going, but just couldn't find the right time. Finally he just asked what was on his mind.

"So I was thinking," he started. "Maybe we should move in together?"

Alex was shocked. She was elated he still wanted her, but she never expected this.

The look on her face disappointed Greg, who took it as a bad sign. "Maybe not," he said, getting upset.

"No, no," Alex could see the coming anger. "I mean, yes, I will move in with you. I just never expected…" she couldn't finish.

"What?" Greg asked, calming down slightly.

"All day all I've been thinking is that you were never going to speak to me again, that I'd lost you forever. I thought about how stupid I was. And then when I came home and you were here…and now you want to move in together…it's more than I could have hoped for."

Greg put his hand on hers. "When I left yesterday, I wasn't sure if I was ever going to talk to you again." He was honest. "But as the day wore on, the thought of never seeing you again, even after all this, was more than I could bare."

She knew she didn't deserve him. He was a far better man than she had ever given him credit for. She cast down her eyes, ashamed of herself.

He gently lifted her head and kissed her. Then he pulled something out from his pants pocket.

"I just have one more thing to ask," he said as he grabbed her hand and slid a simple diamond ring on her finger. "Will you marry me?"


	5. Answers And Disappointments

Author's Note: I know, it keeps going, but I swear it doesn't happen! This alternate universe will end soon--maybe

Part 5

Alex stared at him in astonishment. She couldn't believe she'd heard him correctly.

"Is that a yes?" Greg could see the shock in her eyes.

She nodded. "Yes! Definitely yes!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

Greg smiled widely. He had been unsure of asking her to marry him. He didn't know if he was ready. From her reaction, he was glad he did. For him, it was a step closer to putting her infidelity out of his mind.

Their moment of happiness was interrupt by a knock on the door. They looked at each other. Alex just sat there, not moving.

"Are you going to get it?" Greg asked as the knocking persisted.

"Yeah," she reluctantly said, not wanting the moment to end. "I guess I should."

"I'll get the dishes," Greg offered and started to clear the table as Alex went to the door.

She looked out the peephole, but didn't see anyone. Thinking it might have been a package she was expecting, she opened the door. Then she gasped.

Just outside her door, in the hall, Nick was on one knee, holding the ring he had bought. She quickly moved in to the hall and shut the door behind her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

"You never did answer me," Nick said, offering the ring to her. "Will you marry me?"

"Nick," she softly replied, motioning for him to stand. "Greg's inside."

"Oh," he was disappointed and quickly stood up.

"And the answer is no." She placed her hand on his arm in consolation.

His disappointment deepened and she could see it in his face. He looked down at her hand on his arm and saw the ring. He looked back up at her, anguish on his face.

She quickly removed her hand and tried to hide it, but she knew he had seen it. "Nick," she said, starting to explain.

He held up his hand to stop her. "It's…It's fine. I'll go," he started to choke up. He turned and starting to walk away.

She wanted to go after him. But knew nothing good would come of it. Nick would heal in his own time. Her focus had to be Greg.

As she came back into the apartment, Greg called out, "Who is it?"

Alex was torn. She knew if she told Greg about Nick's proposal it would only drive a deeper wedge between him and Nick. However, she also knew that if Greg was ever going to fully trust her again, she had to be completely honest with him.

She took a deep breath, readying herself for the coming argument. "It was Nick," she said, coming into the kitchen.

Greg stopped what he was doing and stared at her. "What was he doing here?"

She could see the anger growing across his face. "He," she dreaded what she had to say next. "He asked me to marry him yesterday and wanted an answer."

Greg put both his hands on the counter and hung his head. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He already knew what her answer had to be. She'd already said yes to him. He hit the counter with one of his hands. "Damn it! Does it not end?"

"I said no," she reassured him.

"Obviously," he sneered. Then quickly apologized. "I'm sorry."

She walked over to him and put her hand on his back. "It's ok. You're allowed to be mad. You owe me no apologies."

He turned his head and looked at her. "I just need time."

"Greg," she smiled, looking at her ring. "We have forever." She leaned in and kissed him. He relaxed a little.

They spent the rest of the evening talking about where to live and their engagement. Neither of their apartments was big enough for the both of them. So they knew they'd have to find somewhere else that was convenient for the both of them. They also couldn't decide how to break the news of their engagement to Grissom. Alex only hoped Nick wouldn't spoil their news. Greg knew it might mean some changes for him at the lab, but knew—or at least hoped—she was worth it. They fell asleep that night holding each other and talking about baby names.

The rest of Nick's evening wasn't as hopeful. He left Alex's apartment and started to drive to the nearest bar. All he wanted to do right now was drowned his heartbreak. However, as he pulled in to the parking lot, he remembered he had to work in a couple hours.

He sat in a dark corner of the parking lot, fighting back his emotions. He had denied his feelings for Alex for so long, but that night he had given in. He'd finally been able to express it to her. Afterwards, she'd turned from him. But when she found out she was pregnant; he thought it would only bring them back together. And now that it hadn't and she was engaged to Greg, he didn't know what he was going to do.

He arrived at the lab and, luckily, it was a busy night. He was quickly assigned to a case and put the evening's previous events out of his mind.

Some time in the middle of the night, Alex awoke to a sharp pain in her abdomen. She slid out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. She shut the door and flipped on the light. That's when she noticed the blood.

"Greg!" she called, walking back into the bedroom. "Greg!"

He stirred from sleep, not really opening his eyes. "What, Alex?"

"I…I need to go to the hospital," she started to whimper at the growing pain.

At the word 'hospital' Greg shot up in bed. "What's wrong?" She could hear the concern in his voice.

"The ba—" but before she could finish, the pain in her abdomen cause her to let out a cry of anguish. She grabbed her stomach and fell to her knees.

Greg jumped out of bed and pulled on his jeans. He searched around the floor for his t-shirt and finally found it. "Ok, we'll go," he voice was shaky. He wasn't sure what was happening. As he got near her, he saw the blood on her nightgown too.

He grabbed a blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her. "Can you stand?" he asked her.

She shook her head, still whimpering in pain.

"Ok," Greg said, his worry growing. He picked her up and carried her to the car.

The ride to the hospital was filled with a scary silence. Greg would occasionally ask her a question, just to make sure she was still alert. Alex mostly stayed curled up in the backseat, moaning in pain.

When they got to the ER, he carried her inside. They quickly received attention from a nurse on duty. They put Alex on a gurney, and wheeled her behind a curtain but they wouldn't let Greg in.

He paced in the waiting area. He needed to know what was going on. He ran his fingers nervously through his hair. After all the blood, he could only hope both she and the baby were ok.

Alex awoke several hours later to the familiar beeping sound of a heart monitor. She once again found herself lying in a hospital bed. She felt it was all too soon for her to be back here.

She could feel someone holding her hand and looked to the side of her bed. It was Greg, one hand on hers, the other holding his drooping head.

"Greg," she said, squeezing his hand.

He lifted his head to look at her. "Alex!"

She could see the relief in his eyes. "Hey," she smiled weakly.

"Hey," he replied. "How're you?"

"Not good," she told him, still aching in her abdomen. "The baby?"

Greg just shook his head and they both started to cry.


	6. Moving on

Part 6

Alex was heart broken. Her child was now non-existent. She also felt shame as she thought if she'd only waited a couple days before telling someone, she wouldn't have had to tell anyone at all. And then Greg never would have known about her infidelity.

She removed her hand from Greg's and turned on to her side so that she was facing away from him. She pulled her knees towards her chest and curled in to the fetal position. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't look at this room. She just wanted to fade away.

Greg didn't want to let her pull away from him. He was worried she might give in to her sorrow. The look he saw in her eyes was the same he'd seen in his mother's when he was 10. And he didn't want to go through that again.

He maneuvered himself onto the bed beside her. He wrapped one arm around her, trying to get it under the arm holding her knees. He could feel the sobs that racked her body.

"Shhh, Alex," he whispered into her ear. "We'll make it through."

She shook her head. "I don't know if I can," she cried.

"We'll do it together," he tried to reassure her.

His reassurances were doing nothing but driving the nails into her coffin of guilt. She kept thinking that if only she hadn't cheated, the baby would have been ok. She and Greg would have been ok. Now, she wasn't so sure.

She tried to shake off his embrace, but it only made him hold tighter. "Alex, please, don't push me away." He wanted to soothe her, but didn't know how. He knew, though, that he didn't want to go through this again. He decided it was time to tell her something he'd never told anyone else. "Have I ever told you about my mother?"

"What does your mother have to do with anything?" she replied, angry that he wouldn't just leave her alone.

"I'll tell you if you'll just listen," he said and then paused.

She nodded. _Anything to just not think._

Greg took a deep breath and then continued. "I was an only child. Not by design, but because my parents couldn't have another child."

"I didn't know that," Alex told him.

He just nodded and carried on. "I almost wasn't an only child, though. When I was 10, my mom got pregnant again. My parents were ecstatic. I was pretty hyped too. I thought it would be great to have a little brother or sister to perform experiments on."

She let out a little laugh at the thought of Greg playing Dr. Frankenstein with a younger sibling.

Greg smiled a little on the inside. It was nice to hear her laugh. He gave her a small kiss on the back of her neck. Then he finished his story. "But four months into the pregnancy my mom lost the baby. She was very distraught. My dad tried to comfort her, but she wouldn't let him. She just knew it was her fault, and there wasn't anything you could do to change her mind about that.

Like I said, I was only ten, but I could see something wasn't right with mom. And one day, when I got home from school," Greg choked up at the thought, but knew he had to finish.

Alex carefully rolled over, so that she could face Greg. She had a feeling what he was going to say next. "What?" she prodded him gently.

"I found my mom, lying in bed with an empty pill bottle next to her. She was still breathing slightly, so I called 911. She never made it to the hospital." Greg's eyes welled up with tears.

"Oh Greg!" Alex put her arm around him and placed her forehead against his. It then slowly dawned on her why he had shared this story now. "I'm so sorry."

His memory flashed back to himself as a boy. He was dressed in a suit, standing next to the lifeless body of his mother. Greg shrugged his shoulders, trying to shrug off the memory. "I always felt partially responsible, like if I had been a better son maybe they wouldn't have wanted another child so bad. I got into everything and anything I could from then on, just trying to be good enough."

"Oh god," she said, realizing the implications of his story and how he reacted to her actions of the last couple months.

"What?" Greg asked, thinking maybe she was in more pain.

She started to cry. "I'm such a bad person, Greg. You deserve someone so much better than me." She covered her face with her hands.

He removed her hands from her face and looked directly into her eyes. "Alex," he said softly. "I love you, which means there is no one better." Then he kissed her.

She could feel the kiss down to the core of her soul. She couldn't believe she'd met someone like him. That he would still love her, want her, after everything.

"Shit!" she said, breaking the tender moment.

"What?" Greg asked.

"Everybody else. Does anyone know I'm here?"

Greg shook his head. "The only person I told was your boss."

"You told my boss I had a miscarriage?" she was concerned. It would have only been her second day today.

Again, he shook his head. "I'm not that crazy. I told her we had take-out last night and you got extremely bad food poisoning. I told her you might not be back until Thursday."

Alex put her hand on his cheek. "You're so smart!" she said. "Thank you." Then as an after thought, "What did she say?"

"She said when you come back, you're not allowed any time off for a year." He laughed.

There was a knock on the door. Greg jumped up; he didn't want to be caught on the bed.

"Come in," Alex called.

When Greg saw it was the doctor, he excused himself to get some coffee.

"How're you feeling, Ms. Hart?" the doctor asked.

"I'm still a little sore, but I feel alright. What happened?"

The doctor flipped through the chart he had in his hands. "It appears you had a miscarriage and there was some hemorrhaging so they kept you overnight," the doctor replied.

She rolled her eyes slightly at the technically correct answer. "I mean, why did I miscarry?"

The doctor flipped through the chart again. "It seems you have some injury to your internal organs from a previous incident. It apparently was worse than your records indicated." He flipped a couple more pages. "It looks like you may have difficulty conceiving in the future too."

She felt the disappointment grow inside her. There had been a lot in life she was unsure of, but one thing she had always known is that she wanted to have children. And now that possibility might be taken away from her. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself.

"Did they get the results from the other test?" she asked.

The doctor nodded.

"What was the result?" She held her breath.

"It appears that the sample we collected and the fetus were a match," the doctor responded.

She let out a sigh of relief. When she was brought in, she had an inkling she might lose the paper. She requested a DNA sample from the fetus if she lost it. She also convinced the hospital to take a sample of Greg's DNA to compare it to. The results were in; the baby had been Greg's.

The doctor examined her after their brief exchange. He felt she was all right to leave and would send her discharge papers in a few hours. She was glad to hear. She wanted out of this hospital.

Greg came back in as the doctor went out. He raised his eyebrows in a questioning look.

"I'm going to be discharged," she answered the unspoken question.

"That's good!" he replied.

"He also told me something else," she said, not knowing if it would make things better or worse.

"Oh?" he asked.

"Remember that blood sample they collected from you?" she answered with a question.

"How did you know about that?"

"I asked for it, for a paternity test," she told him. "The baby was yours."

Greg paused for a moment. He wasn't sure if he should be happy or sad. He finally just slowly nodded.

"If you need to go," she finally broke the silence. "I know you have to go to work tonight. You probably need to sleep."

Greg yawned at the mention of sleep. He hadn't really thought about it, but now that she mentioned it, he was tired. "I'll wait till they discharge you," he dismissed the idea of leaving. "I can just nap in this chair."

"I can get a cab," she said, knowing she wouldn't be able to drive.

He waved his hand, taking a sip of his coffee. "Nonsense. We still have apartments and a wedding to discuss," he informed her.

"You still want to get move in and get married?" She thought for sure he would have wanted to wait or even take it back.

"Of course," he replied. "Your miscarriage doesn't change how I feel about you."

She smiled slightly. She was relieved to know he didn't blame her for the miscarriage. "So, where you have any apartments in mind?" she asked, needing to move on with her life.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex and Greg found a nice two-bedroom apartment halfway between the lab and her work. They decided not to set a date for the wedding just yet. As Alex had said, they did have forever. And right now, they needed to work on other things—together.

Nick was disappointed the baby wasn't his, but he was happy for Greg and Alex. He knew each was very lucky. Things were uncomfortable between him and Greg for a while, but they eventually became more bearable. Nick had to hand it to Greg, he was one hell of a guy. And he had gotten one hell of a girl.


End file.
